Samurai were greatly honored and respected throughout all of Japanese society. But the lingering question puzzles us all; “what do samurai do when they are not in battle?" Throughout this paragraph we will answer these questions along with more facts and information on the arts of Japan. Ikebana, Haikus, gardens, and landscape paintings, these are only some of the main samurai arts, practiced by samurai. Samurai not only learned to be warriors but also were great scholars and learned and practiced many arts when they were not in battle.
Ikebana One of the activities samurai do in their free time is called ikebana. Ikebana is the art of flower arranging, although to samurai, it is much more. Each group of leaves and each bend of the twig has a specific religious meaning. Ikebana is actually a very popular activity throughout Japan. In most Japanese homes there are very simple arrangements of flowers, there are no large bouquets, normally just a single blossom. The artists of ikebana learned to sort flowers by color, grouping, and shape. The Japanese appreciated their countries natural beauties and through ikebana they brought it to their daily lives.
Landscape Paintings
Another way that samurai and the people of Japan brought beauty to their daily lives was through landscape paintings. In the medieval period, most painters focused on religious images. Sometimes a story was told through the paintings. A sequence of pictures represented each part of the story. These types of pictures were painted on scrolls. Next painters started to add bold and bright water colors to their paintings, and their scenes were of a moment in nature. After a few years, another painting form was made called sumi-e. When painting in the sumi-e style the artist would brush swift strokes across rice paper or a silk scroll. The way of painting spiritually came from Zen Buddhism. The brush is chosen for its texture and shape, and the handles are made out of the stalk of bamboo. Samurai enjoyed painting certain moments in nature, and they also enjoyed meditating in nature.
Gardens
Samurai would meditate to receive enlightenment in meditation gardens. The Samurai would meditate in the gardens to clear their minds and ensure that while in battle the Samurai would be focused on the task at hand. There were many fertile gardens with intimate paths winding into teahouses. There were also many dry gardens of sand and stone. To the Samurai, garden making was an art and a spiritual discipline. Most gardens had moss or nothing planted in them at all. Flowers were not planted because they were sensual distractions. Zen gardens would ask questions without answer, much like Zen priests. Zen gardens are also where Samurai would write poetry.
Haikus
A popular type of poetry written by the Samurai was a Haiku. Haikus had 17 syllables, in a five, seven, five syllable pattern. This type of poem often focuses on a moment in nature. The Haiku was invented by Matsuo Basho. The Heian period was the golden age of Samurai poetry. In a few short lines, Samurai’s capture the nature, beauty, joy and sorrow of love in their poems. In the book “The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn”, Sekei, the son of tea merchant, writes poetry like the Samurai. Seikei also wishes he could become a Samurai. Because of the Japanse laws, Seikei is not allowed to become a samurai, he must become a merchant like his father.
Samurai
In Japanese social structure you were born into your class and you were forced to remain in that class. Samurai were very high in social class and honorable. To be honorable the Samurai had to follow a strict set of rules called bushido or way of the warrior. The Samurai followed these rules very carefully and had much loyalty to their masters. If the Samurai disgraced there masters in any way they would commit seppuku. Seppuku was the most honorable way of death. The Samurai always carried a short sword along with there long swords. The short sword was to commit seppuku
Citations
Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts or File Inc. 2006.
P2 Samurai Arts
Gracie M
Kayla H
Introduction
Samurai were greatly honored and respected throughout all of Japanese society. But the lingering question puzzles us all; “what do samurai do when they are not in battle?" Throughout this paragraph we will answer these questions along with more facts and information on the arts of Japan. Ikebana, Haikus, gardens, and landscape paintings, these are only some of the main samurai arts, practiced by samurai. Samurai not only learned to be warriors but also were great scholars and learned and practiced many arts when they were not in battle.
Ikebana
One of the activities samurai do in their free time is called ikebana. Ikebana is the art of flower arranging, although to samurai, it is much more. Each group of leaves and each bend of the twig has a specific religious meaning. Ikebana is actually a very popular activity throughout Japan. In most Japanese homes there are very simple arrangements of flowers, there are no large bouquets, normally just a single blossom. The artists of ikebana learned to sort flowers by color, grouping, and shape. The Japanese appreciated their countries natural beauties and through ikebana they brought it to their daily lives.
Landscape Paintings
Another way that samurai and the people of Japan brought beauty to their daily lives was through landscape paintings. In the medieval period, most painters focused on religious images. Sometimes a story was told through the paintings. A sequence of pictures represented each part of the story. These types of pictures were painted on scrolls. Next painters started to add bold and bright water colors to their paintings, and their scenes were of a moment in nature. After a few years, another painting form was made called sumi-e. When painting in the sumi-e style the artist would brush swift strokes across rice paper or a silk scroll. The way of painting spiritually came from Zen Buddhism. The brush is chosen for its texture and shape, and the handles are made out of the stalk of bamboo. Samurai enjoyed painting certain moments in nature, and they also enjoyed meditating in nature.
Gardens
Samurai would meditate to receive enlightenment in meditation gardens. The Samurai would meditate in the gardens to clear their minds and ensure that while in battle the Samurai would be focused on the task at hand. There were many fertile gardens with intimate paths winding into teahouses. There were also many dry gardens of sand and stone. To the Samurai, garden making was an art and a spiritual discipline. Most gardens had moss or nothing planted in them at all. Flowers were not planted because they were sensual distractions. Zen gardens would ask questions without answer, much like Zen priests. Zen gardens are also where Samurai would write poetry.
Haikus
A popular type of poetry written by the Samurai was a Haiku. Haikus had 17 syllables, in a five, seven, five syllable pattern. This type of poem often focuses on a moment in nature. The Haiku was invented by Matsuo Basho. The Heian period was the golden age of Samurai poetry. In a few short lines, Samurai’s capture the nature, beauty, joy and sorrow of love in their poems. In the book “The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn”, Sekei, the son of tea merchant, writes poetry like the Samurai. Seikei also wishes he could become a Samurai. Because of the Japanse laws, Seikei is not allowed to become a samurai, he must become a merchant like his father.
Samurai
In Japanese social structure you were born into your class and you were forced to remain in that class. Samurai were very high in social class and honorable. To be honorable the Samurai had to follow a strict set of rules called bushido or way of the warrior. The Samurai followed these rules very carefully and had much loyalty to their masters. If the Samurai disgraced there masters in any way they would commit seppuku. Seppuku was the most honorable way of death. The Samurai always carried a short sword along with there long swords. The short sword was to commit seppuku
Citations
Deal, William E. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan. New York: Facts or File Inc. 2006.
Image http://ryecityschools.milton.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=103614 [February 23, 2012]. web.
Image http://www.fanpop.com/spots/meditation/images/256954 [February 23, 2012]. web.
Kataoka Drue. "Sumi-e" .Drue Kataoka Artist. 2008. Web. 2/22/12.
O'neill, Tom. "Japan's Samurai: Way of the Warrior". National Geographic. Dec 2003
Schomp, Virginia. Japan in the Days of the Samurai. New York: Benchmark Books, 2002